What do you guys think of

[gooty]

John Gillespie??? Lol...everytime i try to watch his show i end up muting it. His show is good, but i can only take so much of "GET THE FRABIL" and "ITS A SLOBASAURUS"

[reinhard1]

i enjoy his show. he is the only one that has a new show every week. he fishes in all conditions and i respect that. there is nothing phony about his show also. everday guy. shure he's loud and a guy who loves to hug. better than boring. hey gooty get the frabil and some brats. good luck.

[gooty]

lol...i forgot to mention the johnsonville brats

[Jarrid Houston]

Ahhh.... I'm more of a NXT bite fan. I also enjoy watching my fishermen hero's: Doug stagne, Larry Dahlberg, Linders (obviously), Babe (obviously), Mr. Walleye Gary Roach, Teddy T, and many others who contribute to my literary readings of the Midwest outdoors, Wisconsin outdoors news, and the Minnie mags and news. My favorite book is Poachers Caught (Tom Chaplin). Can ya tell I'm bored today? Thank goodness for the sportsmanship channel and vs. I need a job doing TV outdoors shows.

[gooty]

Nxt bite, now thats a good show, do you subscribe to WFN??? great stuff...love the show fly max on that channel

[reinhard1]

at one point i thought i would take a stab at it [outdoor show] but after i did the research the cost per half hour show was too much at this stage of my life. if i was younger i would of took a shot at it. butch furtman started out on the rocky teller show if you remember that far back. he's got a crumy website but i do like his shows. i watch and record all that stuff you mentioned and more. well better go out and dig my new garden for next year. good luck.

[Down Deep]

I never have been a fan of Butch. His shows are all about going to a lake with a guide at a resort at the peak of the season. Anyone can do that. I'd like to see him do some skill based shows like go to the SLR solo in early August and show the techniques needed to pull some big walleyes. ETC.

[reinhard1]

butch's shows seldom uses guides. goody he rarely uses guides. in canada and in some of the shows outside of the local area he will fish with resort owners or tackle reps. all of his local shows-example island, boulder, fish, and st. louis river he fishes with a couple of his buddies from duluth. i fished clearwater in ontario and know the owner of browns clearwater resort and his daughter. butch fishes with them and his buddies there along with white otter lake that you portage to from clearwater. same with dogtooth lake in ontario,fishes with his buddies or tackle reps. you probably think they are guides but they are not. butch is a great fisherman and knows his stuff. check out his ice fishing shows on lake superior. just with his buddies. i love the linders and the rest, butch just dont have the budget they do. good luck.

[Steve Foss]

Nobody does it like the Walker's Cay Chronicles anymore.

When I fish (and that includes guiding), I don't make it a contact sport like ultimate fighting, and I don't shout non stop about how cool this fish is or how cool that net is or how important this lure is. Why fill the world with noise?

Fishing is not a commercial with Billy Mays. Gillespie, though I applaud the enthusiasm he transmits, is the Billy Mays of fishing shows. When it comes on, I vote with my clicker.

I bet he's a lot more quiet and great company when he's not doing a show. I'd like to fish with him off camera and off mike, when we're just two guys fishing. I've guided quite a few household names for photography and fishing, and every one of them were simply very cool people. I think a situation like that with Gillespie would be a great time.

His show attracts a pretty big audience, and I believe that's a good thing. We have to continue to intrigue the younger generations to keep the fishing ethic strong. So John, I salute you!

[Northlander]

butch's shows seldom uses guides. goody he rarely uses guides. in canada and in some of the shows outside of the local area he will fish with resort owners or tackle reps. all of his local shows-example island, boulder, fish, and st. louis river he fishes with a couple of his buddies from duluth. i fished clearwater in ontario and know the owner of browns clearwater resort and his daughter. butch fishes with them and his buddies there along with white otter lake that you portage to from clearwater. same with dogtooth lake in ontario,fishes with his buddies or tackle reps. you probably think they are guides but they are not. butch is a great fisherman and knows his stuff. check out his ice fishing shows on lake superior. just with his buddies. i love the linders and the rest, butch just dont have the budget they do. good luck.

Im sorry but Butch quite often has a guide in 1 way or another. Im not knocking him because I love his show and like him a lot but he does quite often use some sort of guide. I.E resort owner, local water expert, bait shop owner etc. Not to mention the "other boats" that may be in the mix.

Like I said Im not knocking Butch but I have personally seen it numerous times.

Its the way the game is played when time is money and shooting film time is money. Dead film = no $. I would do the same in most cases.

Butch is a he ll of a fisherman and knows some of these local waters as good or better than a lot of locals. He is very deserving of the Fishing Hall of Fame!!!

[reinhard1]

+1. the guy is like an ever ready battery. just keeps going and going. every week. good luck.

[Steve Foss]

I'm sorry but Butch almost always has a guide in 1 way or another. Im not knocking him because I love his show and like him a lot but he does quite often use some sort of guide. I.E resort owner, local water expert, bait shop owner etc.

Just because there's no guide in the boat doesn't mean a TV fishing personality hasn't been "guided." In some ways they are no different than you and me. They want to catch fish. In the most important way, the are VERY different than you and me. If they don't catch fish on camera, they ain't gonna last. So they do as much advance work and long-distance scouting as possible so they can keep costs down and ensure there will be on-camera fish catching.

The more money is involved, the more important the scouting.

[reinhard1]

your right. i never thought it in that way. just in a official guide manner. good luck.

[JBMasterAngler]

I enjoy gillespie, having a new show every week is the biggest reason. It's really not much for education as it is for entertainment.

[reinhard1]

what impresses me the most is the weather this guy puts up with. below zero,rain, heavy wind ect. you dont see that in most shows. i dont think because of his weekly shows he gets to pick the best days. good luck.

[Mike Sertich]

Sorry boys. Butch RARELY fishes with a guide. He will fish with the owner of the resort at times, but Personally, I have never seen him use a guide. I ran with him on numerous trips. I ran his camera boat on ocassion. I have fished with him in the winter. He is no different than you and me. A regular guy who cut a niche in the industry through hard work and perserverance. He is unequivocally, the best I have ever fished with. He has taught me so much about structure, finesse fishing, and understanding patterns.He was way ahead of his time in so many areasthat the industry shows us today.I put him right up there with the Linders and Roach.

[reinhard1]

my brother who lives in duluth has great respect for his fishing ability also. this year he had only a few new shows and an unusual amount of re-runs. i have recorded every show but this year it seems he only did half the amount. i e mailed him and he never got back to me. i have spoken to him on the phone before and i know he is just a great guy. i hope he's ok. that's what i e mailed him about. do you recall his days with rocky teller? good luck.

[fishinfey8]

The best part of Butch's productions are the destinations. I bet he is a nice guy, just not gifted in the area of public speaking. I enjoy seeing local spots that I fish as well...

Doug Stange is one of my favs.

[Mike Sertich]

If you would have had the opportunity to fish with him back in the early 60's, you would appreciate who he is today. Incredible river guy. Nobody catches steelhead like does. From there and Jim's Bait, he put the local lakes on the maps of today's fishing public. A Master of Boulder, a guru at Whiteface, a mentor to those who do Fish Lake. From there, it was on to putting lakes and destinations on the map that we may have only dreamt of. Dogtooth, Clearwater, Nipigon, LOW, Rainy,the rivers of Wisconsin/Michigan,Lac Seul,and many others to numerous to mention.When resorters wanted and needed exposure, they found Butch. And he obliged them and helped them become successful today. I have seen it up close and personally.

[reinhard1]

i was there in the sixties. man, jims baits, are you kidding me that was our only bait shop. i hated it when it closed. i believe everything you say about butch. everytime he is at clearwater at browns resort i watch that show more than any becouse of the times i spent there and white otter. i hope he stays around a few more years with his shows. good luck.

[Mike Sertich]

Yes. Cleawater and White Otter are both his favorite destinations today. He and his wife go there to "vacation" Glad that to hear that you were a Jim's Bait guy. Not many left today.What a remarkable place to learn at the knee of some of the best fisherman the area has ever had. Always free with information,tips, and getting the right gear for your type of angling. The honesty there was incredible. They never tried to sell you things but helped you buy the right things. So lost today in the era of the big box stores. Thanks to Marine General for adapting the same policy.

[buzz1ng]

I have never seen a single show of his where he hasnt had a "guide". If you want to watch a 30 minute Info-mercial its a good show, other than that, I agree with gooty, put it on mute.

[RiverFish]

John for the most part stays local (WI). It's fun to watch him fish waters that you have also fished or fish.

And who wouldn't take a Brat after a hard days fishing?

[Northlander]

I dont remember much of Jims bait but what I do was very cool. A bunch of guys, Butch included, sitting around BSing about everything fishing. I will never forget Jim giving me a bunch of tackle for free. Good baitshops and workers are very hard to come by these days. We are lucky to have the few we do around here. Lets make sure they stay here!

Hey Mike have a blast with them boys at SSC. Dont make them so good that they beat up on my Yellowjackets though.

[reinhard1]

i think you are thinking of john gillespi. we were talking about butch furtman not having a guide. good luck.

[reinhard1]

i'm glad mike mentioned jims baits. wonderful memories. i go to charlstroms now when i'm up there. wonderfull people as well. good luck.

[Jackpine Rob]

Jim's was a great place for me to stop off when I was going to college. I and other family members are still using rods that I built with supplies picked up from Jim's. We would have some pretty spirited discussions about the blanks that were chosen - the guys there always teased me that I HAD to pick a different one, and heckled me mercilessly when I had purchased a Fenwick boron blank downtown at that Marine store that used to be on Superior Street. "Darn thing will shatter in no time!" they loudly proclaimed. Of course they had the same blanks for sale!

[Poacher's pariah]

Butch is just plain good people. 25 years ago he did a show where he was allegedly fishing a lake near McGregor. They were catching a ton of walleyes. Then the camera man panned the shoreline and up popped my brother in law's house house on Lake Minnesuing. A month later I was up at Jim's buying my Mn License from Elsie and she asked how fishing was on Lake Nebagamon. I told her I didn't know, and that I preferred to fish a lake near McGregor. To which Butch interjected with a laugh "I told that cameraman NOT to pan the shoreline!"

Those of you who've never had the pleasure of fishing with him should refrain from passing judgment on the guide thing. If Butch is a master of one thing, it's his ability to milk a bite until the camera is ready. He'll feel a take, but not set the hook until the camera man has had the time to get ready. It's not something we would normally do, but it makes for good TV.

With Butch also comes the legend or myth of Butch. I was steelheading down in MI with a buddy years ago when Butch rolled into our hole and asked if he could join us, to which we obliged. He ended up hooking a couple of fish in the 6-8lb range and I landed them for him. Eventually it got dark and we headed up to the cabin. The next morning we decided to start where we left off the previous evening and headed down stream. While walking down stream, we'd talk to guys and they'd ask where we were heading. When told, they'd say, "ya, I heard Butch caught two 12pounders out of there last night." This story was repeated all the way down to the hole. About mid-morning Butch rolls in and we ask how he did last night. His reply? "I caught two 12 pounders here last night." Now I don't believe for a minute that Butch told anybody he caught two 12 pounders. What I think happened is what happens in the kids game "telephone". The story at the beginning isn't the story you get at the end. People saw Butch's fish the night before, and like all good liars......errr....FISHERMAN! the story grew, sort of like Paul Bunyan, and Butch, not one to disappoint his public, simply repeated the story as people repeated it back to him. I did take a certain satisfaction in reminding him that it was me who landed those alleged 12 pounders for him. So say what you want about him. He's still a great guy to have around.

[reinhard1]

never met him but maby his best fan. i think i recorded all of his shows plus some videos he sent me be request. his shows showed me all i needed to know. hopefully someday i'll get a chance to meet him. maby i can show him boulder as i know it. thank you for the post. good luck.

[Jarrid Houston]

Wow nice job on a good topic Gooty. So Butch was pounding walleyes on minnusing.....interesting. This guy sounds like an awesome guy who has earned lots of respect among fishermen. Hopefully I cross paths with him some day too.